Captain John Price is a major fictional character in the Call of Duty series and one of the two main protagonists, appearing as an experienced soldier and a strong leader in the series. He is somewhat compassionate, but can be ruthless at times. Price was well received by critics and fans alike, being listed as the 17th top video game characters of Guinness World Records 2011 Gamers' Edition.

In an interview with Sami Onur, a character designer for Infinity Ward, a "retcon" explanation was provided that John Price is the grandson of the Price who appeared in early Call of Duty games, though this has not yet been confirmed by Infinity Ward staff.[3] In the early developments of Modern Warfare 2 (MW2), Price was scheduled to be the player's commander, not "Soap" MacTavish, as he was supposed to be the playable character instead of Roach. This is further explained in the artbook for MW2.[4] A character named Master Sergeant "Sandman" appears in Modern Warfare 3 as Delta Team’s leader. He is described by Robert Bowling as the equivalent to an “American Captain Price”.[5]

The only major change made to Price's characterization throughout the series was his mustache, of which Graham Linehan famously stated that it was "the only reason to care about the character at all, that it defined him apart from any of the other dial-a-grunt stereotypes in the game".[6] In Soap's Journal, Soap refers to Price's mustache as the "Dick Tickler". The difference between the mustaches of the two Prices is that World War II Price has an ordinary horseshoe mustache, albeit with cleaner shaven cheeks and a more gentlemanly look. John Price on the other hand has a bushier mustache with thick sideburns.[7]

Price always plays a leadership role in the series, training protagonists like Soap, as well as leading army units and SAS squads. In Call of Duty 2, he begins as a regular soldier, but is transferred to the SAS for D-Day, then is back with his old mates again a few days later only to be re-transferred again to the SAS. Price wears different types of headgear, but the maroon (para) beret and boonie hat are his trademarks, with rare exceptions. The only other headgear used are a gasmask, as seen in "F.N.G.", "Crew Expendable", and "Return to Sender"; the beanie in "The Gulag"; and the beret seen in his profile in the cutscene to "Endgame". He is never seen without headgear, but his short hair is seen when his gas mask is on in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. John Price has a buzz cut, as seen in "Crew Expendable". His favorite brand of cigars is Villa Clara, according to Soap's Journal.[8]

Both Prices are taken captive by enemies. He is captured twice by the Nazis in Call of Duty 1 and 2, and is imprisoned in the Gulag in Modern Warfare 2. World War II Price speaks fluent German, but fails to forge German files. Modern Warfare's John Price speaks Russian and Arabic, but in the Modern Warfare 3 mission "Persona Non Grata", Price hands the UGV to Yuri, saying, "The controls are in Russian." He has brushes with death at the end of each Modern Warfare game and is saved by a main character (Soap or Yuri) from being killed by the main antagonist (Imran Zakhaev, General Shepherd, or Vladimir Makarov). He is wounded at the end of all three Modern Warfare games.

Both Prices are very skilled marksmen, as shown by sniping missions in every Call of Duty 1 and 2 mission of the British campaigns, and in Modern Warfare missions "All Ghillied Up", "Contingency" and "Stronghold", or in the mission "Endgame", in which he snipes a helicopter from a raft, hitting its engines, despite floating a river with a strong current. In the mission "One Shot, One Kill", Price manages to destroy another helicopter with one sniper shot, while fending off enemy attackers and carrying his superior, Captain MacMillan, to safety. Bugs or glitches in the game can sometimes make Price miss a shot completely.[9] Most of his missions in the whole series rely on stealth, such as sabotaging a Nazi battleship in World War II, attempting an assassination in Pripyat, or infiltrating an American base in Afghanistan.

He is also a master hand-to-hand combatant, boxer, and knife fighter in exceptional physical condition for a man of his age. In Call of Duty 1 and 2, he can kill an enemy with only one blow from a rifle butt or a single pistol whip, while it takes two to three blows for a player to kill an enemy using the melee mode. In Modern Warfare 2, Price engages the antagonist, General Shepherd, in a brutal fistfight. After a few brief moments, the fight begins to turn in Shepherd's favor as he punches Price in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Shepherd then slowly and relentlessly beats Price before Soap saves Price by throwing a knife at Shepherd's left eye. Although this is the canonical case, by no-clipping, the player can see Shepherd putting Price in a headlock, after which Price reverses it and holds Shepherd in a headlock until Soap pulls the knife out of his chest, at which point Shepherd will be seen punching Price as before. If one watches the fight when Soap first goes to look at the knife, it can be clearly seen that Price is free of the consistent punching, suggesting he may not have originally needed help before release.[10] He is also shown having great athletic skills. In the mission "Just Like Old Times", he kills a U.S. Special Operations combatant by stealthily rappelling down and stabbing him. In missions like "Dust to Dust", he performs long-distance jumps even when hampered with heavy gear.

Price is known as grumpy and serious in every mission, nonetheless cracking insults and jokes along the way. At the beginning of every British campaign, Price will razz the protagonist with these insults, such as the way he mocks Soap and casts doubt on his skills and ability to pass as an SAS, or how he yells at Davis for not taking cover from German fire. These insults, combined with his crude English accent, make up many of the series' memorable quotes.[11] As the player progresses, the relationship between Price and the protagonist strengthens to the point of friendship. World War II Price provides covering fire for Sgt. Davis during their retreat from Amaye sur Seulles, and notably saves his friend Sgt. Evans by sacrificing himself as a shield against oncoming Nazi fire. In Modern Warfare 3, John Price mourns the loss of Soap and the Task Force, grieving over his fallen friends and teammates, and later exacts revenge on the men who killed them, despite peace being made.

Although ruthless and merciless at times, Price demonstrates morality and high principles. He shows his lighter side in many of the series' missions. In the Call of Duty 2 mission "Prisoners of War", World War II Price and his squad encounter wounded members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He forbids his squad to harm the surrendering Nazis, and orders the player to get transportation for the wounded, though knowing that a German armored counterattack is approaching. He stays behind to protect the wounded Rangers, and holds the enemy at bay while awaiting delayed evacuation. In the Call of Duty 4 mission "Hunted", after surviving a helicopter crash in enemy-held Western Russia, a farmer is seen being harassed by an ultranationalist. Price orders Soap to save the farmer, even though the odds of discovery by enemy scouts are high. It is up to the player to save the farmer or let him die. In the Modern Warfare 3 mission "Dust to Dust", Price and Yuri attempt to kill Makarov in his hotel hideout. During their firefight outside and inside the hotel, civilians and hotel attendants run aimlessly, trying to escape the gunfight. Many of them accidentally run toward the protagonists and block their view of the enemy. Price nevertheless orders Yuri not to shoot at the civilians and prevents some of them from being shot by the enemy.

World War II Price's main weapon, and sometimes his only weapon, is a Lee-Enfield, with the exception of him carrying an MP-40 in the last mission. In the Dew XP promotion, the Combat Card of John Price states that his main weapons of choice are the CM901 and the MSR, despite never using them in-game, but in Call of Duty 4, Price's weapon of choice appears to be the M4A1. In all of the Modern Warfare series, he carries an M1911 and Desert Eagle semiautomatic handguns as his sidearms. Immediately after Soap's death, Price leaves an M1911 pistol on his body, which he leaves behind out of respect for Soap. This is the same M1911 used to kill Khaled Al-Asad and Imran Zakhaev, which Soap returned to him in the mission "The Gulag".[12]

Chronologically, World War II Captain Price firstly appeared in the battle of Pegasus Bridge in Call of Duty 1. Secondly appeared on October 29, 1942 in Call of Duty 2. He was leading the 7th Armoured Division as part of the Second Battle of El Alamein. Their mission was to destroy enemy supply depot and acquire any enemy documents. After succeeding their mission, the division is immediately redeployed to defend a small town 30 miles south of El Alamein. After this Price and the 7th Armoured Division took part in Operation Supercharge on November 3, 1942, to secure the gaps in the antitank minefield, so that the British armour can pass through safely. They then successfully charged through the trenches, taking out many Flak 88 crews along the way. They then rallied at the German communications outpost, where news of the success was broadcast back to headquarters. It was followed by an assault on El Daba which Price had only a small part. In March 10, 1943, they were stationed ahead of the main force of the 7th Armoured Division at Toujane in Tunisia and awaiting the reinforcements. They quickly find themselves overwhelmed by a German counterattack, and are forced to retreat. Price, with his squad consisting of Pvt. MacGregor and Sgt. Davis, tried to commandeer a German Armoured Car and attempt to drive out of Toujane. After the armoured car they were riding on hits a mine, they retreat by foot, meeting up with some other men from the 7th Armoured Division, and escape via a German truck. In the retreat some of Price's men were cut off, and despite MacGregor protests, Price realized that even if they turned back to get the men, they would all be overwhelmed. The assault on Matmata on March 30, 1943 was the last of the campaign. The division were ambushed before entering, leaving Price and his men to fight their way in and through the town, Price and MacGregor provide covering fire as Davis takes out the German dive bombing planes, after this the team collects all intel and supplies before moving out of Matmata and ending the North African Campaign.

After the victory in North Africa he served at Pegasus Bridge on the 5th and 6 June 1944 with fellow soldier Sgt. Evans. After the gliders that brought them in landed, Price ordered Evans to suppress a bunker before preceding. They successfully held the bridge until they were relieved by friendlies. A week after the D-Day landings the Allied forces were struggling in the Battle for Caen. To break the stalemate, the 7th Armoured Division including Captain Price were brought in. They started off by securing the village of Beltot 18 miles east of Caen. Price orders Davis and MacGregor to get a German truck to evacuate the soldiers, stating that he is almost envious that for the American prisoners, the war is over. A German counter-attack left them pinned down in the barn by a German Tiger Tank. Captain Price kept calm despite morale running low, and they were saved when the RAF took out the Tiger. They kept moving in toward Caen and by midday on June 12, 1944 they arrived at St. Louet, 15 miles east of Caen. However due to the loss of the tanks because of another German Tiger tank, they were ordered to pull back to Caumout. While retreating they came under heavy mortar fire. They held their own at Amaye sur Seulles and managed to assist the rest of the division in retreating to Caumout.

Captain Price was transferred to the SAS. At some point, during an unspecified mission, Price's plane was shot down behind enemy lines in Austria. Price was captured, and he was taken to a chateau in the Alps. He was rescued by 101st Airborne Division on August 7, 1944. Later, on September 2, 1944, Price was sent to the Eder Dam in a special operation to destroy the anti-air defenses and the electrical generators. Sgt. Waters, a member of the SAS, assisted the two by helping Price steal an Opel Blitz truck filled with Panzerfausts. Price then makes a getaway from the dam to the airfield. At the airfield, he defends Evans with a Bren Gun while the latter mounted a Flakvierling stationed at the airfield. They were then successfully extracted. Price's final mission on October 27, 1944, was to sabotage the Tirpitz, a German battleship that was considered a threat by the RAF. He used his knowledge of German language and forged papers to infiltrate the battleship along with Sgt. Evans. Evans and Price then managed to get to the armory. Unfortunately, after another soldier checked the duo's papers at the armory, Price killed him and blew their cover. While attempting to defend Evans as he planted explosives on the ship's boilers, he was surrounded and killed. This is the first mission in the Call of Duty series where a main character is scripted to die. Video game easter eggs show him in the Modern Warfare series. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, an emblem features World War II Captain Price, while there is an achievement/trophy named Blackjack. In the achievement/trophy picture, there is a playing card with a picture of World War II Price.[15]

Another Price, now named John Price, appeared in the Modern Warfare series set in a more contemporary setting taking place in the early 21st century. Price is a Captain in the 22nd SAS Regiment and the commanding officer of Gaz, player character John "Soap" MacTavish, and their squad, designated Bravo Team. He leads the team to investigate an Ultranationalist cargo ship sailing in the Bering Strait. Price then rescues a Russian democratic loyalist named Nikolai from a Russian prison camp, and escapes a helicopter crash caused by a GAM with the support of an AC-130 gunship. Meanwhile, insurgent leader Khaled Al-Asad seizes power in an unnamed Middle-Eastern country and executes its president, Yasir Al-Fulani. The United States Marine Corps invades the country to depose Al-Asad and restore order to the region. However, a rigged nuke hidden in the capital is detonated (presumably by Al-Asad, but it is eventually discovered to have been done by Vladmir Makarov), killing 30,000 Marines. Captain Price leads the squad to capture Al-Asad, who is revealed to work for Ultranationalist leader Imran Zakhaev. Price executes Al-Asad and reveals that he and his commanding officer Captain MacMillan attempted to assassinate Zakhaev in 1996, but only managed to shoot off his left arm. Eight hours later, Ultranationalist infantry and armor corners Bravo Team, but they are rescued by Marines led by SSgt. Griggs. The SAS and Marines form a Joint Task Force Operation Group and attempt to capture Zakhaev's son, Victor Zakhaev, to learn of his father's whereabouts. However, the cornered Victor shoots himself, rendering their efforts pointless and angering Zakhaev even more. He plans to retaliate by launching ICBMs armed with nuclear warheads at the East Coast of the United States. Price and Bravo Team head to the Altai Mountains to infiltrate the base containing the ICBMs and prevent their launch, but two missiles are launched. He and his team upload the abort codes, destroying the nukes over the Atlantic. In their attempt to escape via enemy vehicles, they are cut off by a Hind gunship and forced to stand their ground in a collapsing bridge while waiting for rescue. A tanker truck explodes, badly wounding Price and the others. Griggs is killed by enemy machine gun fire, and Zakhaev arrives and executes Gaz. Before Soap can be executed, Price manages to slide his M1911 to Soap, who kills Zakhaev and his two bodyguards. Afterwards, the Loyalists arrive and extract the heavily wounded Soap and Price.

In 2016, five years after the events of the first game, Price has been incarcerated in a Russian gulag in the Kamchatka Peninsula after an attempt to capture Ultranationalist leader and terrorist Vladimir Makarov gone awry. During his imprisonment, Makarov starts a war between Russia and America by slaughtering hundreds of Russian civilians at an airport and leaving the dead body of CIA operative Joseph Allen to be used as a scapegoat. International special ops unit Task Force 141, led by Lieutenant General Shepherd and consisting of Soap (now a captain), Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley and Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson, successfully rescues Price from the gulag. He agrees to join the unit and leads the team to help save Washington, D.C. from a Russian invasion by using a submarine to launch a submarine-launched ballistic missile, creating an EMP that cripples vehicles, GPS, and electronic equipment on both sides, giving the Americans an advantage (and accidentally destroying the ISS in the process). However, during an arms deal that is raided by Price and Soap, they are betrayed by Shepherd, who has secretly masterminded the war between America and Russia with the goal of restoring America as a military superpower with him as its hero. Shepherd personally murders Roach and Ghost and orders his men to kill Price and Soap, but they escape the trap. Price asks Makarov for information, and he reluctantly reveals the location of Shepherd's mountain base in eastern Afghanistan. Price and Soap head to Shepherd's base, intending to kill him. Shepherd attempts to flee on a speedboat and manages to reach a helicopter, but Price disables it by shooting its rotor blades shortly before going over a waterfall. Just as Shepherd is about to kill Soap, Price intervenes and enables Soap to kill him. The two are then evacuated by their old friend Nikolai, who informs them of a potential hiding place. During the course of the betrayal, Price and Soap are labeled as war criminals, and the Task Force is disavowed.

Price and Nikolai arrive at a safehouse in India with a critically wounded Soap. Price enlists the aid of Yuri, an ex-Spetsnaz with a grudge against Makarov,[16] MacMillan from Price's assassination mission, now running SAS operations under the callsign "Baseplate";[17] and Delta Force operative Master Sergeant "Sandman". The now-disavowed Task Force 141 follows their first lead to Africa, but is unable to stop Makarov from unleashing a biological weapon on Europe and escalating the conflict into World War III. Capturing a Somalian warlord named Waraabe, they learn the location of Makarov's bomb maker, Volk. Price passes the information to Sandman, who then goes to Paris and captures Volk. Volk reveals that Makarov will be meeting his top lieutenants at the Hotel Lustig in Prague, Czech Republic. Price and the 141 attempt to assassinate Makarov. However, Makarov, aware of the assassination plan, reveals that Yuri is a former associate of his before detonating a trap and killing Soap. A furious Price confronts Yuri at gunpoint, who reveals that he was one of Makarov's top lieutenants until he became disillusioned with Makarov's increasingly extremist tactics. When Makarov decided to massacre hundreds of civilians at Zakhaev International Airport, Yuri betrayed him, but was shot and left for dead. Price reluctantly spares Yuri and forms another plan to kill Makarov. With intelligence from Yuri and MacMillan he sneaks into a castle in the Russian-occupied Czech Republic that is being used as an Ultranationalist hideout. Yuri and Price discover that Alena Vorshevsky, daughter of the kidnapped Russian president, is hiding in Berlin and that the Ultranationalist Russians plan to capture her. Sandman unsuccessfully attempts to rescue her, but learns that she and her father are being held in a diamond mine in Siberia. Delta Force and Task Force 141 team up and rescue the president and Alena, but Sandman and his fireteam are wiped out while buying Price and Yuri time to escape. Due to their actions, the war between Russia and the west is ended and Price's name is cleared. Three months later, Price and Yuri suit up in full Juggernaut gear and assault Makarov's hotel hideout.[18] During the assault, Yuri is seriously wounded and urges Price to continue without him. Price reaches the roof, disables Makarov's escape helicopter, and confronts him. Makarov attempts to kill Price, but Yuri intervenes at the cost of his own life. Price springs up and wraps cables around Makarov's throat before plunging him through a glass roof, hanging him. Price, satisfied with his revenge, lights a cigar as police sirens are heard in the background.

An Xbox 360 avatar based upon Captain Price is available for purchase.[19]Machinima posted a video in YouTube entitled "Captain Price Plays Halo 3", part of their Call of Duty and Halo crossover series, with other Call of Duty characters portrayed playing Halo.[20] He also appears in a fan made prequel entitled "Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish", which was first shown at Call of Duty XP. The video was produced by We Can Pretend and was endorsed by Activision. It shows Task Force 141 and Delta Force participating in an assault on a Ukrainian compound, with the objective of finding an unidentified High-Value Target code-named Kingfish, who is later revealed to be Vladimir Makarov. It also shows the team leaving Captain Price behind, leading to his future incarceration in a Siberian Gulag.[21]

The character was well received by video game publications and fans alike. This praise included Captain Price being ranked as eight on Game Informer's list of "30 Characters Who Defined a Decade"[22] and voted as 17th top video game character of all time in Guinness World Records 2011 Gamers' Edition.[23] He was also one of the 64 characters chosen for GameSpot's "All-Time Greatest Sidekick" poll,[24] while voted as the eighth-top character of the 2000s decade by Game Informer '​s readers,[25] and Complex in 2013 ranked Price as the 26th greatest soldier in video games.[26] In 2008, The Age ranked Price as the eighth-greatest Xbox character of all time, calling him "the most familiar of the Call of Duty supporting cast and a damn fine army man indeed" and saying "What a guy; what a [mous]'tache."[27] A GamesRadar's article demanded "a whole game" exclusively starring Price because "Call of Duty 4 's best dialogue comes from Captain Price" as well as its "best missions are the ones in which you play as Captain Price."[28] GamesRadar's staff further placed him at number 41 in a list of the 50 best game characters of the generation, commenting, "Arguably no other character in the history of games goes harder than Captain John Price. ... Truly, the man is a badass."[29] He was also ranked as the 48th "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in video games history.[30]